Abstract
Kefir is a fermented beverage with renowned probiotics that coexist in symbiotic association with other microorganisms in kefir grains. This beverage consumption is associated with a wide array of nutraceutical benefits, including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, and anti-hypercholesterolemic effects. Moreover, kefir can be adapted into different substrates which allow the production of new functional beverages to provide product diversification. Being safe and inexpensive, there is an immense global interest in kefir’s nutritional potential. Due to their promising benefits, kefir and kefir-like products have a great prospect for commercialization. This manuscript reviews the therapeutic aspects of kefir to date, and potential applications of kefir products in the health and food industries, along with the limitations. The literature reviewed here demonstrates that there is a growing demand for kefir as a functional food owing to a number of health-promoting properties.
Highlights
Kefir is a fermented drink with low alcohol content, acidic and bubbly from the fermentation carbonation of kefir grains with milk or water [1,2]
These studies demonstrated the anti-hypertensive effect of both kefir’s bacterial, and non-bacterial fractions that could be ascribed to alterations in gut microbiota that may vary depending on the bacterial strain or to other bioactive compounds produced by microbial action [42]
The results revealed that kefir and DOX enhanced the intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in HT-29 MDR-developed cells and downregulation of ABC transporters
Summary
Kefir is a fermented drink with low alcohol content, acidic and bubbly from the fermentation carbonation of kefir grains with milk or water [1,2]. Kefir grains range in size from 1 to 4 cm in length and look like small cauliflower florets in shape (irregular and lobed-shaped) and color (from white to light yellow) [5] This gelatinous and slimy structure is comprised of a natural matrix of exopolysaccharides (EPS) kefiran and proteins in which lactic acid bacteria (LAB), yeasts, and acetic acid bacteria (AAB) co-exist in symbiotic connection [2]. Existing reports have suggested important health benefits from kefir beverage consumption, such as anti-microbial, anti-tumor, anti-carcinogenic, hypocholesterolemic effects, anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic, immunomodulatory activity, and improving lactose digestion [11]. All these health-promoting properties are linked to the kefir microorganisms, their interplays, and their metabolic products during the fermentation process [2]. This review reports the most current progress about kefir, its biological activities, and potential applications in the health and food industries
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